An analysis of satellite images by The New York Times refutes claims by Russian authorities that the killing of civilians in Bucha, a kyiv suburb, occurred after their soldiers had left the scene.
Over the weekend, when images emerged of the bodies of dead civilians lying in the streets of Bucha – many with their hands tied, and some with gunshot wounds to the head – the Russian Defense Ministry denied any responsibility. In a Telegram post on Sunday, the ministry hinted that the bodies had been placed in the streets after “all Russian units withdrew completely from Bucha” on March 30.
Russia claimed the footage was “another hoax” and called an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss what it called “provocations by Ukrainian radicals” in Bucha.
However, an analysis of the videos and satellite images by the Times shows that many of the civilians were killed more than three weeks ago, when the Russian army controlled the site.
A video shot by a local councilor on April 1 shows several bodies strewn across Yablonska Street in Bucha. Satellite images provided to the Times by Maxar Technologies show that at least 11 of them had been on the streets since March 11, the date on which, according to Russian reports, the town was occupied by Russia.
To confirm the timing of the bodies and establish when the civilians might have been killed, the Times Visual Investigations team conducted a before-and-after analysis of the satellite images. The images show that between March 9 and 11, dark objects similar in size to a human body appeared along Yablonska Street. These shapes appear in the precise positions where the bodies were found after the Ukrainian forces recaptured Bucha, as shown in the videos from April 1. Further analysis shows that the objects remained in those positions for three weeks.
The causes of death are not clear. Some of the bodies were found next to what appears to be an impact crater. Others were found next to abandoned cars. Three of the bodies lay next to bicycles. Some have their hands tied behind their backs with white cloth. The bodies were scattered along more than 800 meters of Yablonska Street.
A second video taken on Yablonska Street shows three more bodies. One lies next to a bicycle, another next to an abandoned car. Satellite images show that the abandoned cars and the nearby body turned up between March 20 and 21.
These are just some of the civilian bodies discovered since Saturday. Associated Press public images of at least six men lying together in the back of an office building, some with their hands tied behind their backs. The building is located about a mile west of other victims who were found along Yablonska Street.
More than a mile away, a Times photographer discovered the body of a man shot in the head lying next to a bicycle.
Malachy Browne is a senior news producer in the Visual Investigations team. His work has been recognized with four Emmy Awards and he shared a Pulitzer Prize in 2020 for a series of reports showing Russian culpability in the bombing of hospitals in Syria. @malachybrowne • Facebook
David Botti is a senior producer in the Visual Investigations team that combines traditional reporting with digital forensics and open source methods. He previously worked for the BBC in Washington and London, and as a freelance journalist in the Middle East.
Haley Willis is a journalist with the Visual Investigations team, combining traditional journalism with digital forensics and open source methods. In 2020 she received a George Polk Award for International Reporting and an Emmy for Documentary. The Siege of Culiacán. @heytherehaIey